Race-board and rest-board for looms



(No Model.)

W. E. SHARPLES. RAGE BOARD AND REST BOARD FOR LOOMS.

No. 448,374, Patented Mar. 1'7, 1891.

INVENTO NOTON, u. c

TNE Noam PETE: 00., morau'mm, msm

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

VILLIAM E. SI-IARPLES, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSET"S.

RACE-BOARD AND REST-BOARD FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,374, dated March17, 18911.

Application filed May S, 1890. Serial No. 351,055. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM E. SHARPLES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Fall River, in the county of Bristol and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements inRace-Boards and Rest-Boards for Looms; and I do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to looms, and it's object is to remedy thedefeots'now inherent in certain parts of the machine, and to therebyimprove its operation and cause it to give better results.

It is customary to attach to the top of the lay in certain kinds oflooms a thin strip of wood along which the shuttle travels and acrosswhich the warp is drawn. This strip is known as the shuttle-race board.The constant friction of the thread as it moves transverse to the pathof the shuttle, together with the wear due to the movements of theshuttle itself, tends to make the race-board rough and uneven, so thatafter a time it will be found full of the transverse grooves and otherirregularities. This gives rise to faulty and imperfect work since thewarp-threads are caught and broken or prevented from running at theproper intervals apart. The race-board therefore must be frequentlyrenewed at more or less expense and trouble. In the case of therest-board or breast-beam rod the annoyances due to uneven wear are evenmore frequent. This rod is usually a strip of Wood fastened to thebreast-beam of the loom, and it forms the wearing-surface over which thecompleted fabric is drawn on its way to the sand-roller or cloth-beam.It is absolutely essential that this red be perfectly smooth, since anyroughness in it causes the fabric to pull askew by catching in thefilling. \Vhen thin gau-zy goods-suoh as mosquito-netting-are beingwoven, the filling is particularly liable to be pulled out of place asit passes over the rest-board. The wooden strip commonly used quicklywears into ridges under the friction of the threads, particularly on theselvages, where the greatest strain comes, and requires constantattention and repair to insure an even fabric. My invention entirelyobviates the troubles inherent in these wooden breastbeam rods.

In the drawings, Figu rel is an end elevation of a port-ion of a loom,showing my improvement in position. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on anenlarged scale of one form of my raceboard; and Fig.3 is a similarsection of my rest-board.

The loom may be of any desired style, A representing the frame; B, thepicker-stick; G, the lay; D, the race-board; E, the shuttle; F, thewarp; G, the rest-board, and II the sand-roller. The race-board D iscomposed of a thin strip of wood, fiat on its top and bottom and beveledon its inner edge 61 to rest against and hold in place the lower part ofthe reed I. This is the ordinary construction.

My improvement consists in enveloping it completely in a metallicsheathing d, composed of sheet-tin, zinc, brass, aluminum bronze, or thelike, a non-oxidizable metal being preferred. The sheathing liessmoothly across the top of the race-board and is carried entirely aroundit. It extends continuously from one end of the race to the other, so asto offer a smooth unbroken surface for the passage of the warp-threadsand the movement of the shuttle.

The most convenient mode of applying the sheathing to the race-board isto form it into a tube of the proper shape and size and then insert thewooden filling into it. This mode of procedure is adapted to either newor old race-boards.

I am aware that it has been proposed to face race-boards with a strip ofsteel having a burnished surface. This is costly to make and expensiveto repair and renew. My sheetmetal sheathing is cheaper and more easilymade and applied. Enveloping the raceboard it lies smooth and flat andrequires no extra fastening to keep it in place. It can be made of thinmaterial, since it does not depend upon its own stiffness to keep itclose to the race-board. Moreover, its thinness enables it to be appliedto existing worn raceboards without altering them, the thickness of thesheathing being so slight as to be immaterial.

The rest-board G is usually made of hard wood with rounded edges. This Iprovide with a sheathing g of thin sheet metal, preferably tin-,plate.The sheathing is tubular, so as to completely inclose the rest-board,and

the meeting edges of the sheet metal may be united by a seam g, or inany other suitable manner. As in the case of the race-board, thesheathing is equally well applicable to old ornew rest-boards. Itextendsthe entire length of the board and affords a smooth unbrokensurface for the cloth to draw over. The filling which passes it parallelwith its length finds nothing to prevent the easy movement of eachthread across the polished surface of the metal, so that the mostdelicate and flimsy stuff can be drawn over it without any danger of itsthreads being disarranged. Furthermore, my improvement-s enable the loomto do better work and lessen the breakages of Warp-threads. The cost ofrepairs is reduced, and they do not have to be made. sofrequently.

I am aware that the lease-rods which separate the warp-threads beforethey reach the harness have been covered with metal to reduce theirwear; but the reduction of wear is not all that I accomplish bysheathing my rest-board with metal. It serves the further purpose, asset forth above, of presenting a smooth and even surface for the clothto pass over after it is woven, thereby preventing damage to the cloth,and especially to thin gauzy fabrics by the pulling askew of thefilling. This is a very important result, and one that cannot be broughtabout by cover ing the lease-rods with metal.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. A race-board for looms, composed of a strip of wood having acontinuous tubular close-fitting sheathing of sheet metal appliedthereto, substantially as described.

2. A rest-board for looms, composed of a strip of wood enveloped in acontinuous sheathing of sheet metal, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the wooden restboard G, of the sheet-metalsheathing g, having its edges seamed together, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. SIIARPLES. Vitnesses:

CHARLES L. Foo'rn, ABBA N. LINCOLN.

